Israel’s Election and the Palestinian Vote Netanyahu Cannot Ignore

By Elijah J. Magnier

Israel’s election on 27 October may turn on a question neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his principal rivals can settle among themselves: will Palestinians holding Israeli citizenship be permitted to exercise their full political weight, and will their elected representatives be accepted as partners in forming a government?

On 23 September, Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify both Ra’am and the Joint List, which brings together Hadash, Ta’al and Balad. The votes followed petitions from Likud and other groups aligned with Netanyahu’s coalition. These were decisions by the election committee, rather than a new law passed by the Knesset, and the exclusions remain subject to Supreme Court review. The attorney general opposed the disqualification of the two lists. The Court, which has overturned comparable exclusions before, will determine whether they can contest the election. 

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